#PIRWMSK
New riders come to Motala
It was 27 degrees and barely a cloud in the sky when Motala took on Västervik at home tonight in the Bauhaus Elitserien. It was the first time since the regulations changed in Sweden on 1 July that up to 3000 fans, although only 827 people made it to RMV Skog Arena tonight.
It was also the first time that Piraterna’s Peter Kildemand had raced in Sweden this year. Another new rider at this track was Västervik’s Jaimon Lidsey, the U21 World Champion from Australia. Not only that but it was also the first match back at Motala for Pawel Przedpelski who raced for the club in 2018 and 2019.
He was one of the players who did not receive full pay from the club when they nearly went bankrupt at the end of the season and was the only rider signed by Stefan Andersson before he left when the financial problems were revealed. The Polish rider only managed to break his contract for 2020 when new regulations came in because of the Coronavirus outbreak.
Perfect Weather
It was not just the perfect weather, but the perfect track with overtaking possible right from the first heat. That meant, for example, that Kildemand was able to overtake none other than Artem Laguta (pictured) in Heat 2 as he came out of turn 2 as the home side took their only 5:1 for the evening.
After last Thursday collapse in Målilla, even the most faithful Piraterna’s fan was expecting an away win. But the riders’ themselves were having none of it, surprising everyone with advantages in Heats 2, 4, 9 and 11. Meanwhile, the visitors could only manage one heat advantage before the nomination heats were called. That was when Bartosz Smektala (9) and Lidsey (9+1) won a 2:4 for the guests. So, it looked like Piraterna were about to take their first win of the season with the scores at 40:32 before the nominations.
Nomination Heats Drama
However, as Västervik were eight points behind, they were able to do a double replacement with Laguta and Przedpelski (10+1) coming in for the young Swedish riders, Anton Karlsson (1+1) and Noel Wahlqvist (0) for Heat 13. Their 5:1 was the start of a comeback for the visitors as they scored two 5:1s to give us a last heat decider with the scores tied at 42:42.
Przedpelski falls in final heat
The final heat pitchedLaguta and Przedpelski (again) against the Gneizno duo of Kildemand and Oskar Fajfer. And it looked like an easy 5:1 again for the Västervik duo until Kildemand and Przedpelski started to tussle for second place. The Danish rider looked like he was going to pass the Pole on the inside on turn 2, but the former Motala rider went down into the shale. The heat was stopped and there was a nervous wait for the fans to see whether Kildemand or Przedpelski would be excluded. But the crowd breathed a sigh of relief and cheers went up as the white light went on and the Västervik rider was not allowed to return to the track.
That led to the re-run of the final heat and with Laguta taking the checkuered flag first it led to a 45:45 draw. For the home side it felt like a loss as Piraterna’s captain, Tomas H Jonasson (7+1), said afterwards, “I am disappointed that we did not win but we’ve got to be pleased with our first point this season.”
Piraterna Motala: 45p
1. Adam Ellis (1*,1,1*,1*,1) 5+3p
2. Jakub Jamróg (2,3,2,1,1) 9p
3. Tomas H Jonasson (3,1*,1,2,0) 7+1p
4. Peter Kildemand (2*,2,3,2,1*) 10+2p
5. Oskar Fajfer (3,2,2,3,2) 12p
6. Rasmus Broberg (0,1*,0,1,0) 2+1p
Västervik Speedway: 45p
1. Bartosz Smektała (0,3,3,0,3) 9p
2. Jaimon Lidsey (3,0,1,3,2*) 9+1p
3. Philip Olofsson (0,0) 0p
4. Artem Laguta (1,3,3,3,3,3) 16p
5. Paweł Przedpełski (2,2,2,2,2*,0) 10+1p
6. Anton Karlsson (1*,0,0,0) 1+1p
7. Noel Wahlqvist (0,0) 0p
Scores from Speedwaynews.se
